The Weser River Between the Elbe and the Jade Estuary, Germany

Flowing upwards from the bottom right, the Weser River empties into the North Sea off the coast of Germany. To its right is another rivermouth, that of the Elbe, and to its left is the Jade Estuary, a bay known as Jadebusen in German.

About 180 km² (70 mi²) in area, the Jade was largely created by storm floods during the twelfth and sixteenth centuries. During this period it was connected in the East to the river Weser. This connection was closed between 1721 and 1725 by dikes reconnecting Butjadingen to the mainland as a peninsula.

The 452 km long Weser River passes by the historic port city of Bremen before emptying into the North Sea 50 km further north at Bremerhaven, which is also a seaport. On the opposite (west) bank is the town of Nordenham at the foot of the Butjadingen Peninsula. It is the longest German river whose course lies entirely in German territory to reach the sea.